I had intended to post all about my trip to Vicksburg way back in August, you know, when I took my trip to Vicksburg. But stuff happened and life just got away from me, and I never got around to it. I'm here to rectify that right now.
I mean, I did post about Fiber Fun In The 'Sip, but I also wanted to post about the rest of the trip. I'd planned all along to go down a day early so I could visit some of the history stuff there in Vicksburg, and that's what I did. The gang wasn't coming in until Saturday, so I got up early Friday morning and headed out to see the sights.
Turns out I got up too early, because nothing was open yet. I drove around just looking at ... the outside of stuff for a while until things began to open up. My first stop was the National Military Park. I'd been there once, on a sort of abbreviated tour, and have always wanted to go back.
I was able to see much more of the park this time, but I still couldn't see it all, because some parts of it had been closed for safety reasons. If you'll recall, that was right after the whole of central MS had gotten deluged with those torrential rains and everything was flooded.
Heh, we met a lady at FFITS who had just moved to Pearl about the time all that rain started. Amy asked her where she was from, and when the lady said, "As of three days ago, I'm from Pearl" Amy said, "Congratulations?" I guess you had to be there. Anyway, back to my story.
Some of the roads in the park were closed because of mudslides due to all that rain. I was bummed because of this. I'd so wanted to see the Navy memorial, and wouldn't you know it, it was in a part of the park that was closed. Next time I go, that will be first on the list. Well, not exactly first, because it's pretty far into the park.
What I did see, buried deep within the park was this:
The U.S.S. Cairo was an ironclad gunship that was built at the start of the Civil War, and was sunk by a mine. They recovered it in the 1960s and it was added to the military park in 1977.
They have it set up in a really cool way, so that you can actually go inside the remnants of the ship. I mean, you can't actually go onto the 100 year old parts, but they have walkways built so you can go inside the frame and stuff. I was in history geek Heaven!
Picture it, me and my dork self, so excited I couldn't think of the word boiler, so I stood there squealing and shouting, "The steam things! Lookit! The steam things" to no one in particular.
What can I say? I am who I am. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I did in fact remember the word paddlewheel.
They also had a room inside the building where they displayed some of the artifacts they'd recovered from the wreck, including these pots and jars, among other things.
After leaving the museum, I continued my tour of the park, stopping to read the signs and take photos. I was bummed that the Texas memorial was closed for repair.
Then, after making a stop towards the end of the tour, I got back into my car, and ... it wouldn't start. I turned it over several times, and finally got it started, so whew! My first thought was that I'd ran the battery down stopping and starting the engine so much, so I drove around for about half an hour to see if I could get it charged back up. I went back to the hotel and ate some lunch, then left again, intending to go visit some of the other museums in town.
I got into the car, and it wouldn't start. Again, I turned it over a few times until it finally started, then I thought to myself, it's probably time to get a new battery anyway. I pulled out my phone and googled how long car batteries last.
3-5 years.
I still had the one that was in my car when I bought it -- seven years ago. Lovely. Instead of touring historical stuff, I found myself spending the afternoon in a Firestone place getting a new battery.
That was an adventure in itself, because they didn't have the right battery in stock, and had to order one from a parts house across town. They said it would take about 30 minutes to get there, and did I want them to go ahead and order it. "Yes!" I said. "I'm afraid to stop again, because I might not get my car started."
When the battery finally arrived, and the mechanic went to put it into my car, the cables were so corroded he said he wasn't going to use them. There was just no way. So, they had to order cables, and it was another 30-ish minute wait.
But they finally got me fixed up with a brand new battery and cables, and I felt much safer driving around an unfamiliar city. Unfortunately, by then it was so late that by the time I got back downtown, the museums would be just about to close, so I just got some KFC and went back to the hotel.
That, friends, is what I call a Side Quest. But it's all good.
By the way, I took a lot more photos of both the Cairo and the military park. If you're interested in seeing them, they're in albums on both my Facebook and MeWe pages.
Also by the way, I just this year found out Mississippi has a Renaissance Fair down in Gulfport. I'm thinking I might just go one year. Anyone care to make a road trip with me?
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